Judging by the current contents of her apartment, Lauren Schreiber Sasaki is a woman who loves nothing more than celebrating Christmas at home.
On the mantel, a “Merry Christmas” garland hangs beneath a large collection of menorahs. An advent calendar shares a wall with several Magen David ornaments. Atop the coffee table stands the
pièce de rèsistance: a miniature Christmas tree, laden with ornaments and stationed next to a candle that smells like “Jewish Christmas.” (Buttered popcorn with notes of Chinese takeout, if you were wondering.)
In fact, this is all new for Schreiber Sasaki, 36, who runs Jewish&, a program for interfaith families at Toronto’s Miles Nadal Jewish Community Center. Since childhood, she’s felt a little resentful of the onslaught of enforced cheer that comes with Christmas. Now, as one-half of an interfaith couple and the mother of two young children, she worries that the “shiny, sparkly, sugary” nature of Christmas celebrations overshadow